Are? You? Sure?
by IeatSoulGreen
Summary: Azula's mind had never been the most stable, not since Ozai found out about how talented she was. Azula had never been the only one that was good at mind games, just the only one to enjoy it. AU where the Gaang had no choice but to decide to kill Azula and Zuko tells them he has a way to do it. Rated for character death.


**AN: FYI The character death injury isn't detailed, no gore.**

* * *

"I know a way." Zuko didn't meet their eyes, an indecipherable mix of emotions on his face.

"Okay?" Aang asked.

Katara narrowed her eyes. "And that would be?"

"It'll work." The firebender's hands tightened around his arms; his fingers must've been digging into his flesh painfully. The anguish on his face shut the waterbender up and no one else dared to ask again.

Aang supposed they'd just have to trust Zuko.

* * *

They could hear her coming, all eyes were now on Zuko to see what he would do. Again, there was only raw pain and anguish on his face. Sokka watched him take a deep breath and then the lines on his face smoothed out, until the firebender seemed eerily calm. Sokka had never seen him like that before.

Zuko snapped his eyes open.

* * *

He took a deep breath to center himself. He might hate this part of himself, which was why he never used it, but both Azula and him had always been naturals at this. They'd gotten it from their mother, thank goodness. Zuko shuddered to think what atrocities their father would've come up with had he had this gift. These were special circumstances though; there was no way they could bring Azula down without this hated skill of his. …And as they knew now, there was no way they would be able to bring her down, _permanently_, if they didn't-

Zuko exhaled, letting his real emotions go.

Only what he'd thought up was real, he couldn't believe anything else for now.

"Lala! There you are!" He shouted, concerned, rushing to meet his sister.

Azula, having been prepared to fire at the slightest sign of enemy movement paused confused. "Zu-"

"Stars, Lala, were have you _been_?! I was so worried about you!"

His sister's stance slackened. "I-I- what?"

Zuko frantically checked her over, making sure that she was fine. Still, he asked, "Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened, you were gone for _days_ and-" he stifled a sob, "Lala, I thought- What _happened_?"

Azula was beyond confusion now and it showed clearly on her face, making him notice.

"Lala? What's wrong?"

"Zuko, w-what's going on?" There was an almost nonexistent tremor in her voice.

He froze, his frantic movements ceasing. _So that's what's wrong_, the thought showed on his face. "What's the last thing you remember? The day you left? The summer solstice festival?"

Azula frowned, then straightened, surer of herself although Zuko could see her self-confidence was brittle. "There was no summer solstice festival this year; the Avatar's allied forces invaded."

"The Avatar? Why would a firebender attack us, especially on the summer solstice? Lala, you're not making any-" Zuko's eyes widened. "Wait, which Avatar did you mean?"

His sister glared at him. "Well, the airbender of course!" But she sounded unsure, scared.

"Lala, we killed the last airbender, don't you re- Oh. Your memories got confused again." His gaze softened. "You must've been so confused, with no one around to help you… Come on, let's sit down." He gently guided her to sit on the ground in front of him and she complied, too confused, too unsure about her own treacherous mind to put up a fight. "Alright, as always, let's start with what you stated first. Lala, which nation is the greatest?"

"Fire."

He smiled at her, making it obvious that he was glad she hadn't lost all reasoning. Azula just looked at him, lost. "Exactly. And you said a coupe of resistance fighters invaded the Fire Nation, causing enough of a ruckus that the _summer solstice festival_ got canceled?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

"Yeah, doesn't really sound that convincing if you think about it, huh?"

The poor thing looked like she was seconds from a breakdown. "But I remember it…"

"You don't," he told her softly, "You're just confused Lala, it'll pass, like it always does."

Her tone was desperate when she argued, "No, it's not- I-I remember you being banished, we were both chasing the Avatar-"

"Lala, why would I be banished?"

"You spoke out of line in the courtroom!"

"And when was that supposed to have been?"

"When you were thirteen!"

"Why would I have been in the courtroom? Only generals are allowed in there, together with the Firelord and his heir."

"You were his heir then."

He frowned. "With how bad I'm bending? Don't you remember, father publicly switched our positions, making you heir, and me second to the throne."

"What? No, he-"

"Are you telling me that _our father_ would've left me as heir? When you have always been so much better than me? Lala, that doesn't make any sense, don't you see?"

The fire in her eyes died down.

"Besides, how exactly would we have chased the Avatar together if I had been banished?"

"I fought you?" She sounded more unsure than ever.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because if you came back then I'd be heir-" she cut herself off, frowning.

"Right. Because our father would've been dumb enough to banish his _heir_, the one whose the _worse_ of his children at firebending, and still given him the chance to take up the throne, when his other, _perfect_ child, was _right there_."

Azula's mouth opened, and closed again. "But I- Zuzu, why are all the wrong memories in my head?" She looked at him desperately, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Shh, Lala, come here," he opened his arms for her and she let herself fall forward into his embrace. He tugged her closer still, until she was sitting in his lap, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. She was still too tense though.

"You were cursed by a vengeful spirit, because one of the last waterbenders was jealous of the Fire Nation's supremacy."

"I-I don't remember that either."

He began rocking her, but she was still too tense. "Let's start with our earliest memories, okay? As we get nearer to the present, you should remember the real memories; You always do."

"Really?" She clutched at his tunic.

"Yeah, promise. Now, do you remember Ember Island's beaches? We loved to build castles of sand and then Tenten would bring little figures of fire to life, the people living in our castles…"

He began rocking her slowly, told her childhood memory after childhood memory until she relaxed in his arms.

Azula wasn't paying attention to anything but his words anymore and Zuko brought out the knife hidden in his sleeve without her noticing (she would've, even though her back was turned, if Zuko hadn't played this mind-game with her).

He closed his eyes, unseen by Azula as her own head was buried in his chest, relishing in having his sister in his arms one last time. He could almost pretend they were kids again, neither of them having awoken their bending yet. He could almost pretend his father hadn't grown disappointed in him yet from failing to awaking his firebending as soon as others did, hadn't set his eye on Azula yet, who'd awoken hers earlier than others. That Ozai hadn't grown cold yet and forced a rivalry between the siblings. That Azula hadn't learned to hate him yet, to torture him, that the nickname 'Zuzu' hadn't become something to hate yet.

He wanted so desperately to pretend that she was still his little Lala.

But she wasn't.

Zuko drove the knife expertly between her ribs into her heart.

Azula stiffened, and then went still in his arms.

He buried his head in her hair and cried.

Zuko drove the knife expertly between her ribs into her heart, leeching her inner fire through the metal into his own body, and giving it up into the air, trusting Katara to extinguish any fire caused by the unnatural heat.

In merely a heartbeat of his, Azula went still in his arms, her inner fire snuffed out.

He buried his head in her hair and cried.

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**Reviews please! Constructive criticism welcome ^^**

**Tell me if you liked it/what I could change? I'm not sure about this oneshot.**


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